Do we really know just how serious the oil spill is?

**Winston001** · 2nd July 2010, 18:08

Just to put another side to the story, here is a blog which points out Louisiana thrives on the oil industry - loves it, and the spill story is partly driven by media ratings. Oiled flamingos sell.

http://open.salon.com/blog/fay_paxto..._love_bullshit

A clip:

"Oil is as important to Louisiana as seafood, the Brown Pelican and the Mardi Gras.
Louisiana is the hub of the domestic oil industry, so in the wake of an oil spill, why wasn’t Louisiana prepared?
Oil companies spill as much as 700,000 gallons of oil each and every year. Over 50% of those spills are in Louisiana. What do they do about them?

The media seduces the public with heartbreaking pictures of oil soaked pelicans and marsh but never once reported that on April 10^thof this year, a Chevron pipeline leaked some 18,000 gallons of oil right into the Delta National Wildlife Refuge! Pipelines leak all the time.

Democratic strategist, James Carville blasted President Obama, …”he could have been involved with the families of these eleven people”; a reference to the eleven people who died in the BP blast. Less than a month before the oil spill, 29 coalminers died in a coal mine blast in West Virginia. Anybody remember them?"

**Naki Rat** · 2nd July 2010, 21:06

Originally Posted by Winston001

Just to put another side to the story, here is a blog which points out Louisiana thrives on the oil industry - loves it, and the spill story is partly driven by media ratings. Oiled flamingos sell.

http://open.salon.com/blog/fay_paxto..._love_bullshit

A clip:

"Oil is as important to Louisiana as seafood, the Brown Pelican and the Mardi Gras.
Louisiana is the hub of the domestic oil industry, so in the wake of an oil spill, why wasn’t Louisiana prepared?
Oil companies spill as much as 700,000 gallons of oil each and every year. Over 50% of those spills are in Louisiana. What do they do about them?
The issue of 1,500, 000 gallons/day for 74 days (and counting) puts this on a whole different level.

.......
Democratic strategist, James Carville blasted President Obama, …”he could have been involved with the families of these eleven people”; a reference to the eleven people who died in the BP blast. Less than a month before the oil spill, 29 coalminers died in a coal mine blast in West Virginia. Anybody remember them?"

There has to be an element of suspicion from any US politician commenting on this issue at present due to the substantial oil industry lobby on local senators and the like. But again the combined scale of this disaster tends to put such comments into perspective.

**spacemonkey** · 2nd July 2010, 21:32

Originally Posted by Winston001

Just to put another side to the story, here is a blog which points out Louisiana thrives on the oil industry - loves it, and the spill story is partly driven by media ratings. Oiled flamingos sell.

That may be, but does the Louisianna ENVIRONMENT thrive on it?

I think not.

**Winston001** · 3rd July 2010, 03:40

Originally Posted by Neshi

As for the person asking for an alternative to oil as a source of power. What about an engine running solely on water, reacting with aluminium to create power. The only pollution would be the process of refining Bauxite into aluminium.
"A 900 kg car runs 600 km on 20 litres of water and 1 kg of aluminium."

http://anon99.tripod.com/water_engine/index2.html

Most incredible thing about this is that is was invented in 1981.. so it's been known for 30 years, why haven't we heard about it but are fiddling around with electrolysis and the storage of hydrogen... this solution would put oil industries out of business, while at the moment they can still make money out of oil so I reckon they keep it quiet. All one would need is to buy a car or motorbike with an engine of this, and one would be able to fill it up at home. So the only money would go to the purchase of the vehicle, not the fuel. Any idea why the inventor hasn't been seen or heard of... ?

Well this is only a guess after a quick google but I'd say petrol is more efficient per kilo than manufacturing aluminium per kilo. And this engine relies upon hydrogen technology which you'll be aware is still being grappled with by auto-engineers today.

It is NOT POSSIBLE within the known laws of physics to fuel an engine solely with water. Except for fish. But they don't study physics so they don't count.....

**spacemonkey** · 3rd July 2010, 07:17

Turning Bauxite into Aluminium takes serious amounts of electricity, and 1kg or Ally costs more than the same amount of petrol by a long way I'm guessing.

**Naki Rat** · 7th July 2010, 22:33

Day 79 and counting

**mashman** · 9th July 2010, 11:52

At least they're using all of the resources they have

**mashman** · 9th July 2010, 12:10

Originally Posted by T.G.W

Safety Data Sheet
https://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse...SDS.539287.pdf

June 30 Press release from Nalco

"We are pleased that the EPA's (US Environmental Protection Agency) initial testing results of dispersant alternatives continue to show the safety of our COREXIT 9500 dispersants," said Dr. David Horsup, Division Vice President, Research and Development for Nalco's Energy Services division.

In announcing the test results, EPA Assistant Administrator Paul Anastas said the EPA is not recommending any change in dispersants used to fight the Gulf spill's impact."
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nal...k=MW_news_stmp

The tests looked at the dispersants alone and did not look at effects of the chemicals when mixed with oil.

Bit cheesy towards the end, but a contradictory view of Corexit 9500 "safety" claims...

**mashman** · 9th July 2010, 14:31

There's nothing like a good conspiracy theory... According to the interweb (i know i know), weeks before the Deep Horizon disaster, Obama's portfolio managers, BP CEO Tony Hatward and Goldman Sachs all dumped shitloads of BP shares... preparing for the worst perhaps??? who knows...

Other problems? Again, on the interweb, but there are comfirmed rumours (yes i understand how that sounds) of a large Gas Bubble that's building underneath, reports so far are 10 - 20km in width... this is sparking fears that once enough oil has leaked out and the sea pressure is greater, that the hole will fill with sea water, vapourise (it's fuckin hot, ?400 degC?) and increase the pressure causing the bubble to finally pop or explode. This will unleash a Tsunami off the east coast of the US (very low lying areas) and send a deadly gas cloud in whichever direction the wind is blowing...

So much science, so little honesty. Who knows...

**pete376403** · 9th July 2010, 16:13

and when these all go off at once...
27,000 Abandoned Wells Lurk Under Gulf
http://readersupportednews.org/off-s...urk-under-gulf

**Neshi** · 9th July 2010, 18:58

Originally Posted by mashman

There's nothing like a good conspiracy theory... According to the interweb (i know i know), weeks before the Deep Horizon disaster, Obama's portfolio managers, BP CEO Tony Hatward and Goldman Sachs all dumped shitloads of BP shares... preparing for the worst perhaps??? who knows...

Other problems? Again, on the interweb, but there are comfirmed rumours (yes i understand how that sounds) of a large Gas Bubble that's building underneath, reports so far are 10 - 20km in width... this is sparking fears that once enough oil has leaked out and the sea pressure is greater, that the hole will fill with sea water, vapourise (it's fuckin hot, ?400 degC?) and increase the pressure causing the bubble to finally pop or explode. This will unleash a Tsunami off the east coast of the US (very low lying areas) and send a deadly gas cloud in whichever direction the wind is blowing...

So much science, so little honesty. Who knows...

might wipe out the US.. could be a good thing. Nature strikes back and all that.

**mashman** · 10th July 2010, 21:43

Originally Posted by Neshi

might wipe out the US.. could be a good thing. Nature strikes back and all that.

You might be right if this is anything to go by...

**Naki Rat** · 11th July 2010, 20:13

Twelve ROV video feeds and none of them show the flow from the wellhead now that the cap has been removed. Why does that not surprise me ?

**mashman** · 13th July 2010, 14:53

Originally Posted by Naki Rat

Twelve ROV video feeds and none of them show the flow from the wellhead now that the cap has been removed. Why does that not surprise me ?

I can only assume that's because they've removed the old well head and are spending the ?next week? trying to fit a new one... could be interesting...